Chargers set tempo on ground

The Chargers used a few big plays in the running game to get them going early, and everything flowed from there Sunday in their 37-7 win at Kansas City.

Balance is a word that’s been used a lot around Chargers Park lately, and Sunday it was something that was put to use as San Diego rolled up a big win in Kansas City.
The Chargers entered Sunday’s game ranked fifth in the NFL in passing offense but last in rushing. They ran the ball 36 times for 135 yards in their win over the Chiefs and threw it 30 times for 268.
“It was great to have that balance,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.
San Diego’s ability to set the tone early had a significant impact on the way the game played out. Going into Sunday, their highest single-game rushing total was 77 yards. The Chargers gained 80 yards on the ground in the first quarter in Kansas City, including a 36-yard run by LaDainian Tomlinson that helped set up their first score.
“It kind of got us going,” Tomlinson said. “It was something we needed. It was a big play for us.”
Tomlinson rushed for 71 yards on 23 carries Sunday. He gained 60 yards in the first quarter as the Chargers took a quick 14-0 lead.
“That’s one of the things that we’ve been talking about is getting some run going early, Turner said. “It takes a lot of pressure off everything we do. I like the way our guys played in terms of the running game. We were able to get a little better rhythm going today. We’ve just got to keep working to get LT space to run because he ran well last week and he ran well today.”
The success in the run game kept the Chargers out of 3rd-and-long offensively, which in turned helped the team’s pass protection. A week after Rivers was sacked five times against Denver, he was hardly touched Sunday as the Chiefs were held without a sack.
“We weren’t getting any negative plays,” center Scott Mruczkowski said. “We were popping three, four, five yards a snap and were able to break a couple long ones. It was good to get that going and take the pressure off the pass game. That takes them out of all their blitz schemes and really helped us. (The run game) has been getting better the last couple weeks. We’re starting to get on a roll and start to get our run blocking schemes in place. It just felt a lot better.”